I have been building a showman’s wagon for a few years now, in between paying projects, starting with a plank of wood and some steel, to what is now a recognisable wagon the only piece I have brought were the springs. A showman’s wagon as the name suggests is the fairground owners living wagon. In Victorian England the wagon was seen as the outward manifestation of the owners wealth and standing, and as a consequence rose to great heights of luxury with cut glass windows, marble fireplaces and separate sleeping area, Now whilst mine isn’t going to reach those dizzy heights it will feature an integral toilet and shower cubicle, along with a solar panel on the roof, so a modicum of comfort and I hope a real home from home. Its my plan when I retire, to take a trip with my wife,pottering along through the highways and byways in my showman’s wagon towed by a vintage tractor or if I am really lucky a horse. I suspect the biggest problem will be that I have been looking forward to retiring since I was 16 and have so many plans and projects for when I retire I wont have time, so I will settle for camping in the garden.

What prompts my post is that my video about how to make a mattress has just passed the 10,000 views, much to my surprise. I am constantly amazed by the number of views and the kind comments.

In a caravan as you will know if you have ever spent a night in one everything has to be multipurpose, this usually includes the bed which converts into banquette chairs and table for the day time. I did look to buy a mattress in sections but the cost was eye watering, so with my usual naïve confidence off I went and made it. The video is the result

The end result was surprisingly good, gives a very good nights sleep and can be scaled up to a full size mattress quite easily, you just need a bit of space to work with when your making it. Its made by stitching together upholstery springs into a grid, and then covering with various layers of fabric and wadding. Have a look at the video and see what you think.